AdvertisementNASA is set to ignite the engines of its $18.6 billion Space Launch System rocket later today in an eight minute test designed to confirm it is ready for launch. Pictured, the SLS core stage undergoing an engine test firingNASA'S SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM: THE MOST POWERFUL ROCKET EVER BUILT Nasa's Space Launch System, or SLS, is an advanced launch vehicle that will 'provide the foundation for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit', according to the space agency. After the core stage arrives, it will be lifted and placed between the two boosters and attached at the core stage engine and intertank sections. This is part of the final stage of the Green Run, a comprehensive series of tests of the SLS core stage and its engines. Launch vehicles range in size from the currently in development Space Launch System from NASA to the tiny Electron from Rocket Lab.

Source: Daily Mail March 18, 2021 11:15 UTC